Jan 14, 2013

the master bathroom-preliminary ideas

can i just tell you how excited i am to get to use my new master bathroom?
here is what it currently looks like:

i have been in a rental house for the last 4 1/2 years, and i am SO excited to be in a bathroom that is not only NEW, but also where i have selected every. last. detail.
here is the floor plan:

the only change will be that there will only be one sink instead of two. we have had two sinks in most of the houses we have lived in, and we usually only used one. since the vanity is not huge, i felt i would prefer to have the counter space over a second sink.

the finish selection of this room began with a few inspiration pictures that i love:

(jeff lewis design)
i LOVE the shower floors here! i am thinking of doing some pattern with the light and dark marble in my shower....

i love the polished, classic look of these bathrooms, and i am using them to dream up the details for my new bathroom.

a few things i know i want to incorporate:

* white/light marble floors:

possibly in a pattern like this herringbone, although i am also considering
a double herringbone pattern.

* a free standing tub:

* these light fixtures:

a while ago, i purchased these savoy house fairchild sconces at joss and main a while back for $55 a piece. (they retail at other sites for $152 each, so i definitely got a great deal!)

at the time, i had no idea where i was going to use them, but now i have decided that they are going to be installed around my new sink. i still haven't decided if they will be installed on the side walls or on the face of the back wall.

* a wood vanity:

since i feel that they lighter marble will read as cool, i wanted to add some warmth in with the vanity. i would LOVE to see if i can get a vanity made from walnut.

i just love the grain and the depth that it offers! walnut tends to be more expensive than other woods, but since the vanity is pretty small, i think we might be able to make it fit in our budget.

once we get the "shell" in place---walls, floors, lighting...i will think about adding the next layer of yumminess...paneling? wainscoting? wallpaper? accent paint? right now my head is spinning just trying to select fixtures and make sure i keep ahead of all of the selections that have to be made!

I have marble floors in my bath - love how they look, but they are as slick as ice when wet. You seriously have to be careful....all it takes is one tiny drop of water. Everyone in my family has almost fallen. Maybe the pattern would add some texture and make it not be so slick.

I agree with JTC, marble looks great, but it is extremely slick when wet. I wonder if you could find a stone with the same textured look? It isn't as slippery. I love our stone floors in the bathroom. And it has a marble design running through it.

i wish i could find an alternative that is guaranteed to NOT be slippery....but trying to pull off a high end look with a home depot clearance budget is hard. i found some great marble tiles at home depot for $3.99 SF, so that is what i would like to use. we will see, though! there are still soooooo many choices to make!

Lucky you to pick out a new bathroom!! I have a double sink with sconces. I was just thinking about you putting the sconces on the side walls-it might cast a strange shadow on your face without having some type of light in the middle. Just a thought! I have two sinks with two mirrors and three sconces to spread the light across the face equally. You could always use those sconces by the tub and find some thing that "goes" for near the sink. Good Luck!!!

The stand alone tub looks so cool, but can be a real back killer in terms of maintenance--who's going to mop behind it?

I love the sconces, truly beautiful. In the Urban Grace photo, where the sconces are on the side walls, the location makes sense as it adds to the symmetry of the two sinks. In your installation, with one sink, I'm less certain. Where will you locate the sink--in the middle of the counter (will you "breakfront" the counter like the via photo)? The black shades will cut down on the amount of light they throw off, so you'll likely need to add additional overhead lighting (I have to believe there's more lighting than just two sconces in the UG photo). Maybe place them on dimmers, so they can be night lights for when you're in the tub, too. ;) I love dimmers.

ah yes...i know about the possible annoying area that may be caused with a free standing tub. i love the way it looks, and i am going to just deal with it.i think that we have decided to put the sconces directly on the sink wall--installed right on the mirror....and yes, another light above it is also in the plan. thanks so much for your comments!